Towards a sustainable water management

Availability of water of adequate quality to meet environmental, economic, and human needs requires active water resources management. Today, water management faces major challenges such as climate change and the effects of human activities of an ever-growing population. To best meet these challenges, knowledge of all aspects of water management are required. In this context, this course focuses on three particular aspects of water management which represent three modules of study.
The course is divided into three modules:
Module 1.- Water interactions in agro-ecosystem
Module 2.- Water quality and ecosystem integrity, water pollution assessment
Module 3.- Water and wastewater treatment

Availability of water of adequate quality to meet environmental, economic, and human needs requires active water resources management. Today, water management faces major challenges such as climate change and the effects of human activities of an ever-growing population. To best meet these challenges, knowledge of all aspects of water management are required. In this context, this course focuses on three particular aspects of water management which represent three modules of study.
The course is divided into three modules whose learning outcomes are described as follows
Module 1.- Water interactions in agro-ecosystem
Learning outcomes
- Become familiar with the concepts of radiation balance and energy balance; air temperature and sensible heat flux; air humidity and latent heat flux; wind and turbulent transport; diurnal variability of soil temperature and meteorological parameters; dew and frost. Climate classification
- Become aware of the properties of soil that influence soil water balance and the distribution of water in different types of soil in agricultural land, the effect of soil parameters on crop plants (soil salinity, water deficit, drainage and irrigation)
- Become familiar with the role of microorganisms in the atmosphere, in plants and in soil
- Become familiar with water transport in plants and how the presence/absence of water influences plant physiology and plant pathology
- Analyze soil water balance and flow; soil water distribution on agricultural land; soil salinity; water requirements and their relation to crop productivity, irrigation deficit and water scarcity
- Assess water movement in plants, plant water status, photosynthesis and respiration, the intersection of radiation and crop productivity, growth regulators, photoperiodism and vernalization; physiological response of plants to the action of climatic factors, etc
- Know how climate and climatic factors affect the development of different crops
Module 2.- Water quality and ecosystem integrity, water pollution assessment
Learning outcomes
- Become familiar with aspects related to the grey water footprint and new types of water pollution
- Become familiar with environmental legislation on water quality at EU level
- Knowledge about WQI models and their importance as a tool to classify the water resources
- Be able to analyze some physical and chemical parameters in the laboratory to characterize surface waters
Module 3.- Water and wastewater treatment
Learning outcomes
- Become familiar with conventional and advanced processes in the treatment of drinking water
- Become familiar with conventional and advanced processes in the treatment of wastewater
- Become familiar with water desalination technologies
- Understand how Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) such as bioretention facilities, constructed stormwater wetlands, and outfall retrofits may be used to capture and treat stormwater in urban areas
- Understand how to use stormwater as a resource to create resilient and livable cities
- Understand water reclamation and reuse technologies

Module 1 - Water interactions in agro-ecosystem (2 ECTS)
Number of hours (VT.- Virtual Theory, VP. - Virtual Practice, PT.- in Presence Theory, in Presence Practice)
1. Fundamentals of surface-atmosphere interactions and climate
- Lecture M1.1.1- Prof. Maria João Costa (UE)
- Lecture M1.1.2 - Prof. Miguel Potes (UE)
- Lecture M1.1.3 – Prof. Prof. Maria João Costa (UE)
- Lecture M1.1.4 - Prof. Miguel Potes (UE)
2. Fundamentals of plant-soil-water relationships. The role of microorganisms in these processes
- Lectures M1.2.1-M1.2.5 - Prof. Sandra Wright (HiG)
- Practice M1.2 - Prof. Sandra Wright (HiG)
3. The role of microorganisms in the processes occurring in the soil. Impact of climate change on crops.
- Lectures M1.3.1-M1.3.6 - Prof. Isabel Brito (UE)
Module 2 – Water quality and ecosystem integrity, water pollution assessment (1 ECTS)
1. New types of pollution: emerging contaminants, nanoparticles, microplastics, antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes
- Lecture M2.1.1 – Prof. Juan Luis Acero (UEx)
- Lecture M2.1.2 –Prof. Ana Dordio (UE)
2. Water Framework Directive: ecological quality and ecosystem integrity
- Lecture M2.2.1 – Prof. Manuela Morais (UE)
- Lecture M2.2.2 – Prof. Helena Novais (UE)
3. Water quality standards and water quality index (WQI)
- Workshop M2.3 – Prof. Pedro Álvarez (UEx)
4. Determination of physical, chemical, and biological parameters in water
- Lecture M2.4.1-M2.4.2 (biological parameters). - Prof. Jonas Rönnander (HiG)
- Lab session M2.4 – Prof. Juan Fernando García, Prof. J. Luis Acero, Prof. F. Javier Rivas, Prof. Pedro Álvarez (UEx)
Module 3 – Water and wastewater treatment (3 ECTS)
1. Drinking water treatment
- Lecture M3.1.1 – Prof. Juan Luis Acero (UEx)
- Lecture M3.1.2 – Prof. Pedro Álvarez (UEx)
- Workshop M3.1 – Prof. F. Javier Rivas (UEx)
- Lab session M3.1- Dr Ana Rey, Mr Miguel Ángel Jiménez (PhD student) (UEx)
- Field trip 1 – Visit to a water treatment plant – Prof. Juan Luis Acero; Prof. Pedro Álvarez; Prof. J. Fernando García; Prof. F. Javier Rivas (UEx)
2. Wastewater treatment
- Lecture M3.2.1 – Prof. Ana Dordio (UE)
- Lecture M3.2.2 – Prof. Ana Paulo Pinto (UE)
- Lecture M3.2.3 – Prof. Alfredo Carvalho (UE)
- Workshop M3.2 – Prof. F. Javier Rivas (UEx)
- Lab session M3.2- Prof. Juan Luis Acero (UEx), Mr Juan Carlos Aldana (PhD student),
- Field trip 1 – Visit to a wastewater treatment plant – Prof. Juan Luis Acero; Prof. Pedro Álvarez; Prof. J. Fernando García; Prof. F. Javier Rivas (UEx)
3. Water desalination
- Lecture M3.3.1-M3.3.2.- Prof. Emilia Pantea (UO)
- Lecture M3.3.3-M3.3.4.- Solar desalination- Prof. Pedro Horta (UE)
4. Application of phytoremediation in wastewater treatment
- Lecture M3.4.1-M3.4.2 - Prof. Emilia Pantea (UO)
5. Storm-water collection and treatment:
Nature-Based Solutions for managing the quality and quantity of rainwater runoff in urban areas
Planning and design of nature-based solutions in urban areas - analysis based on selected case studies
- Lecture M3.5.1 - Prof. Ewa: Burszta-Adamiak (UPWr)
- Workshop M3.5 - Prof. Ewa: Burszta-Adamiak (UPWr)
6. Wastewater reclamation and reuse
- Lecture M3.6.1 – Prof. Pedro Álvarez (UEx)
- Lab session M3.6 – Dr Ana Rey, Dr Elena Rodríguez, Prof. Pedro Álvarez (UEx)